Buy the Drip - Coffee and Business – Details, episodes & analysis

In this special episode of Buy the Drip, we’re flipping the script. While we’re usually the ones asking the questions, this time, we’re the ones in the hot seat. Recorded in late January during our time in Romania, we sat down with Bogdan and Calin from Meron Coffee to chat about our experiences in the coffee world. Check out SUBEXTRAS by Meron on YouTube.

We dive into a range of topics that go beyond just competition. We explore the evolution of coffee culture in Canada and Romania, the art of roasting, and our journey with Rosso Coffee Roasters.

You'll hear about our early days in the specialty coffee scene, our passion for creating consistent, high-quality coffee, and the challenges we've faced along the way. We also discuss how coffee can bring people together, creating a sense of community and family, and the importance of innovation in the industry.

Tune in to hear our story from a different perspective!

Kyle Ramage joins Buy The Drip Podcast. Listen to the compelling conversation with Kyle Ramage, former United States Barista Champion and co-owner of Black & White Coffee Roasters.

Kyle takes us through his fascinating journey in the coffee industry, starting with how he got involved in the specialty coffee scene, his experience participating in the World Barista Championship, and his role in a documentary about barista competitions.

He opens up about the challenges and rewards of starting his own coffee shop and roastery, providing invaluable advice for aspiring coffee shop owners.

Kyle shares insights into the growth and scaling of Black & White Coffee Roasters, discussing the operational challenges of running a roastery and the crucial need for building efficient systems. He also addresses the controversy surrounding the Best of Panama competition and the innovative processing techniques that are reshaping the specialty coffee landscape.

To wrap up, Kyle talks about the exciting opening of a new store in an airport.

This episode is packed with unique insights and valuable lessons from the specialty coffee world, making it a must-listen for anyone passionate about coffee and entrepreneurship.

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In the first "Ask Me Anything" episode, David answers a wide range of questions from podcast listeners.  Learn how much coffee David drinks a day all the way to his embarrassing answer about Crossfit, UFC and rap music.  He gives a few tips on starting a coffee shop and some great memories from the World Barista Championship.

Time

0:58 - How much coffee I drink each day
2:02 - How I drink my coffee
3:39 - My favourite moments from coffee sourcing trips
7:43 - The best cups of coffee I've ever had
11:05 - Fun memories from the World Barista Championship
14:52 - What keeps me motivated personally and as a business owner
18:24 - Advice for my younger self
22:05 - Four points for starting a coffee shop
25:06 - My top 3 investors of all time
27:36 - What I think is going to happen with interest rates and the effects of inflation
29:46 - What rest looks like for me
30:55 - Crossfit, UFC, and rap music.
33:43 - Outro & how to help the podcast

Follow David Crosby on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com

Chef Mike Pigot was awarded best chef in the city of Calgary in 2020. We had a great conversation about food trends, the challenges of opening a new restaurant during the last year and how he goes about designing a menu.  There's some tips and tricks for cooking at home, for all the chef enthusiasts out there.  Mike also takes us through some behind the scenes stories from reality TV and the unique experience of winning Guy Fieri's Grocery Games.

Timestamps

0:50 - The  humble beginning in the restaurant industry to opening multiple restaurants
8:09 - Dealing with the effects of the pandemic and considerations for moving up in the industry
10:49 - Food trends, responding to feedback, and designing a menu
16:42 - Mike's experience on a reality cooking show, Guy's Grocery Games
19:46 - Winning best chef of Calgary in 2020
21:15 - Mike's guidance for home cooks
26:03 - Mike's thoughts on appraising the restaurants we visit
27:56 - Understanding and managing the input costs of a restaurant
31:36 - Musing on the stereotype of the extreme chef
35:23 - Balancing the demand of being a business owner, and your own needs
36:49 - Getting inspired and not putting up with the bullshit
39:16 - Thoughts on celebrity chefs, having dinner with your idols, and restaurants Mike would like to visit
42:55 - What's next, how do you rest, and cookbooks that Mike recommends
45:11 - Socials & Outro

Follow David Crosby on social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com

Follow Mike Pigot on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefpigot/
Website: https://www.chefpigot.com/

Danilo Lodi started his career in the specialty coffee scene in 2004.  Danilo's conversation with David hits a wide range of topics from coffee consulting to training to become a World Barista Champion judge.    Born and raised in Brazil, Danilo provides his thoughts on the Coffee C-Market and the impact of higher pricing has on the quality of coffee. Danilo has/had a goal to taste coffee from all producing countries in the world!?  Hear his advice for aspiring coffee professionals and why he hates cold brew so much.    

Timestamps 

1:02 - The beginning of Danilo’s career in specialty coffee
11:57 - Danilo’s history in coffee competitions, starting off competing himself, then judging and training other competitors
20:41 - Broadening horizons by tasting the whole world of coffee
23:51 - Danilo’s approach to coffee consulting and sharing his broad knowledge
28:02 - HCP ad for Santa Cruz Natural
28:30 - The most challenging part of the coffee supply chain, from Danilo’s perspective
31:03 - Navigating the pandemic, personally and for Brazil in general
35:53 - A breakdown of the commodity market and how the recent fluctuations in price affect the supply chain.
39:43 - Danilo’s interest in martial arts
41:47 - Danilo’s advice for aspiring coffee professionals
46:56 - The hype around “quality” canephora coffee, giving the cold shoulder to  cold brew and the inconsistency of the V60 and aeropress brewers.
50:59 - The value of letting your mind wander
54:14 -  Danilo can drink between 1 and 25 cups of coffee a day
56:19 - Danilo’s plan for 2022
57:28 - Socials & outro

Follow David Crosby on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com

Follow Danilo Lodi on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danilolodi

In this episode David is joined by Lucia Solis, a former winemaker and current coffee processing specialist. She also hosts the wildly informative podcast Making Coffee with Lucia Solis. We talk about her history in the wine industry and the series of opportunities that led her into an entrepreneurial journey, as a globally renowned consultant on coffee processing. It’s a dense conversation where she shares the synthesis of her extensive knowledge of microbiology, processing coffee and wine, as well as historical and current challenges of the coffee producer.

0:58 - Lucia’s professional wine career in Napa Valley, and her shift to analyzing yeast usage in coffee processing.
12:47 - What convinced Lucia to shift into consulting on coffee processing?
20:17 - A breakdown on coffee processing and fermentation.
26:05 - Home Coffee Plan - Anonos, Costa Rica
26:41 - The value of controlled inoculation for coffee producers
30:05 - A day in the life of Lucia Solis
34:51 - The challenges Lucia has observed that coffee producers face
43:00 - The complex, imbalance power dynamic between coffee consumers and producers.
48:12 - Lucia’s aspiration to set up a teaching mill
49:50 - Rest up with hammocks!
50:15 - Lucia is trying to drink less coffee; hopes to experiment with decaf coffee
51:35 - Where to buy coffee that Lucia has worked on
52:27 - Socials & Outro

Follow David on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee 

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com/ 

Follow Lucia Solis on social 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lluciasolis/

Website: https://www.luxia.coffee/

Grab a glass of wine and listen to the similar, yet so different world of wine with Erik Mercier & Mark Couillard of Juice Imports. Juice is one of the first companies to import natural wine into Canada.  Erik and Mark break down the difference between natural and conventional wine with great storytelling.  Listen to the importance of buying quality wine (and coffee!) and the dark side of what goes into conventional wine.  The conversation ends with great advice on starting a new business and how to grow during that difficult time.

01:00 - The Juice Imports Origin Story
04:38 - The separation between Natural and Conventional wine
16:26 - Yeast inoculate fermentations in wine versus coffee
27:02 - The start of building an open minded, quality focused, wine importing company
37:26 - Home Coffee Plan Ad
38:04 - Building direct relationships with wine producers
57:07 - The stereotypes of conventional wine
01:07:34 - Finding and enjoying the emotional experience of quality food and drink
01:25:52 - Advice to each other when Juice Imports was starting out
01:30:39 - How Marc and Eric approach rest
01:34:50 - How many glasses of wine do wine importers drink a week?
01:36:39 - A wine recommendation!
01:38:26 - Socials & Outro

Follow David on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com/

Follow Juice Imports on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juiceimports

Website: https://www.juiceimports.com

Enjoy listening to Ania B's unique balance as a multi faceted entrepreneur. As one of her many accomplishments Ania was nominated for the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) in the Digital Influencer Of The Year category.  Get tips and tricks on advice for pursuing creative work and how to deal with the fear of failure.  Ania pulls back the curtain on how big brands create promotional content with her and other digital creators. The chat ends on Ania's massive renovation project with her partner Tyler Stalman.

0:52 - Attempting to balance modelling and accounting
12:45 - The shift towards blogging and digital creation
22:04 - Advice for pursuing creative work and coping with the fear of failure
32:02 - The process of, and considerations for creating promotional content
43:32 - Home Coffee Plan Promo
44:04 - Growing followers through authenticity
56:45 - Separating yourself from the metrics
01:00:25 - The Dover House reno project
01:16:55 - The reality of working with your partner
01:18:55 - The challenge of resting as a Type A personality
01:23:32 - What’s next for Ania?

Follow David on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com/

Follow Ania B on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aniab/

Website: https://aniab.net/

Grab a cup of coffee and learn about how Freda Yuan (The 3 Time UK Tasters Cup Champion) tastes coffee.  Freda talks with David about her coffee journey into becoming a green coffee buyer.  Through this journey, she found her true passion in the sensory elements of coffee, which started after her struggle, and recovery from bulimia.  Freda also touches on writing a book Sip and Slurp: A Guide to Expert Coffee Tasting.

1:01 - Freda’s history in the industry; growing from Barista to Green Buyer
11:53 - The day-to-day life of a green coffee buyer
21:25 - Cup Tasters: What is it? How does Freda prepare to compete?
28:28 - Home Coffee Plan: Santa Cruz Natural
29:01 - The inspiration for Freda’s book, Sip and Slurp
39:54 - The role of sensory mindfulness with food and coffee in Freda’s recovery from depression & bulimia
47:08 - Rapid fire questions
51:17 - Book, Socials and Outro

Follow David on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com/

Follow Freda Yuan on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfreda

Website: https://www.fredayuan.com/

Buy the Book: https://www.fredayuan.com/product-page/sip-n-slurp

Boram Um has a unique view into the coffee industry as he and his family own two coffee farms, they roast, export and have a chain of coffee shops in São Paulo, Brazil.  Boram talks about the role of yeast fermentation and his thoughts on how it can improve coffee quality in Brazil.  Listen to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on coffee shops in Brazil for the last two years.  The conversation finishes with Boram sharing his experience competing at the World Barista Championship in Milan and his learnings.

1:15 - Boram’s journey to being an exporter, producer, roaster AND cafe owner

10:57 - The role of fermentation in Boram’s production

18:22 - The potential found in having impact over their entire supply chain

24:43 - Home Coffee Plan

25:20 - Boram’s thoughts on using yeast-inoculated fermentation in Brazil

32:07 - How the shifting commodity coffee market has affected the specialty market

39:35 - COVID-19’s impact on Boram’s cafes in Brazil

49:03 - Boram’s road to the 2021 World Barista Championship

55:12 - Socials and Outros

Follow David on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosbyandcoffee

Website: https://www.rossocoffeeroasters.com/

Follow Boram Um on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boramum

Website: https://www.umcoffeeco.com.br

Follow Cole Torode on social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torodeo

Website: https://www.forward.coffee